Tianjin, China, February 21st, 2014 - Asia Pacific's leading supply chain company YCH Group today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tianjin's leading vocational institution, the Tianjin College of Commerce ("TCC") to jointly offer a rigorous, well-rounded supply chain certification program that fuses the best of academic training with practitioner-based learning to develop highly versatilesupply chain talents that are ready and relevant for the industry.

Named the 'TCC-YCH Supply Chain Certification Program', graduates will benefit from a specially-structured curriculum that will see their academic training enhancedby practicum-based immersion that leverage YCH's proprietary training material, IT best practices and world-class supply chain facilities. TCC will undertake all student enrolment and shortlist high calibre students with excellent potential and interest in the logistics field, to go through the certification program. The first batch of students is expected to begin the training program in March this year, and will graduate upon successfully completing seven modules over a six month period. Thetop 20% of each cohort will also be given an opportunity to join the YCH Group of companies upon their graduation.

Being a past winner of the National Training Award in Singapore with years of in-depth experience in OJT execution and certification, YCH will deploy an enhanced version of the OJT framework for the TCC-YCH training collaboration. The OJT structure had been instrumental in facilitating YCH's rapid growth and scalability to become Singapore's homegrown logistics giant and regional supply chain solutions player today.

Mr. Roger Yap, Head of YCH China and Mr. Ye Qing, Deputy Secretary of Tianjin College of Commerce at the MOU signing.

Principal of Tianjin College of Commerce, Ms. Qian Weirongsaid, "We are excited to be partnering YCH Tianjin to launch this inaugural TCC-YCH Supply Chain Certification Program to provide a holistic, best-in-class learning experience for our logistics majors. The invaluable experience that our students will be able to glean from YCH's real-life operational environments and exposure to YCH's list of prestigious MNC clientele will surely increase their marketability upon their graduation, and give them that extra confidence to step into the real working world."

Head of YCH China, Mr.Roger Yap said, "Having been in China for more than two decades, YCH Tianjin is today one of our most successful hubs in our Greater China network; hence we are committed to contribute to Tianjin's growing talent needs. As a socially responsible employer, not only are we focused on servicing our world-class clientele, creating employment for our local talents and upskilling them constantly to grow with the company, is also a top priority for us."

With its dual focus on enhancing employment and employability, YCH Group is a firm believer of supporting logistics education and knowledge management following its mantra "Teach a man to fish". To help fuel the growth of the regional supply chain industry, YCH nurtures talent through a variety of educational platforms including scholarships, internships, content development and various practitioner-based learning programs.

YCH Group Chairman & CEO Dr. Robert Yap, who witnessed the MOU signing, added, "Infusing practical exposure with academic theory is akin to providing additional firepower to individuals who want to make an immediate difference in our competitive industry. This program fills an important gap of inculcating a total, end-to-end supply chain perspective to empower the students to connect the dots beyond the traditional confines of isolated logistics functions. Graduates of this program not only get a head start as they enter the industry already prepared for the challenges of the real world, this will also accelerate their career progression as they take on a more strategic mindset in their day-to-day work."

YCH first entered Tianjin in 1999 and has two key facilities in the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone and the Tianjin Airport Logistics Park. Since its inception, YCH Tianjin has been servicing world-class MNCs such as Motorola, Flextronics, SK&F, Ferrero, GlaxoSmithkline etc. The YCH Tianjin ALP DistriPark also houses the avant-garde 'Y3 Tianjin RFID Innovation Centre', a government-supported innovation showcase that leads best practices in RFID across various sectors including Logistics & Supply Chain, Medical/Healthcare, Retail and Manufacturing & Production.

The MOU signing was followed by a meeting between the YCH management team and Vice Mayor RenXuefeng, who invited YCH Group Chairman & CEO Dr Robert Yap for a discussion on proliferating supply chain education as well as enabling City Supply ChainT networks to modernize the logistics landscape in Tianjin.

Dr. Robert Yap, Chairman & CEO of YCH Group with Tianjin Vice-Mayor Ren Xuefeng, discussing on how to optimize Tianjin's supply chain landscape.

Founded in 1955, YCH Group is the leading integrated end-to-end supply chain management and logistics partner to some of the world's largest companies, including Dell, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Exxon Mobil, Unilever, LVMH and Royal FrieslandCampina. Focused on boosting productivity and sustainability for customers, YCH's proprietary suite of award-winning end-to-end supply chain management solutions employ web technologies that are best-in-class across industry clusters from consumer and electronics to chemical and healthcare.

The Singapore-based company currently operates throughout Asia-Pacific, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, China, India, Vietnam and Korea. A strong proponent of innovation, YCH is recognised for its 7PLT approach in seamlessly integrating supply chain strategy with execution to attain success in the SCM industry.

Learning and innovation is a huge part of YCH's corporate DNA. As an organization that places core emphasis on talent development and sharing of industry best practices, YCH is dedicated to collaborating with reputable institutions of higher learning to nurture all-rounded supply chain talents in a bid to mitigate the talent crunch and fuel the growth of Asia's supply chain industry.

About Tianjin College of Commerce ('TCC')

Tianjin College of Commerce is a full-time vocational institution offering various educational programs for advanced professions. With a long history and well-established reputation, the college has already trained more than 120,000 outstanding graduates for Greater China. Located in Hexi District of Tianjin City and occupying an area of 366 acres (or nearly 100K sqm in built-up area), the college is well-equipped with teaching facilities, library, training centres, auditorium, conference hall, stadium, sports training halls, student canteen etc. as well as various other learning and lifestyle amenities.

Tianjin College of Commerce hasa staff strength of nearly 500, and an intake of 7,000 students at any point in time. There are a total of 21 departments in the college, offering a range of subjects including international trade, economics, foreign languages, international logistics, business management and accounting.

About the 'TCC-YCH Supply Chain Certification Program'

Students under the 'TCC-YCH Supply Chain Certification Program' can look forward to intensive OJT (on-the-job) training opportunities in warehouse management, freight & forwarding, order processing, inventory control, customs and declaration as well as basic knowledge in security management, EHS (Environment, Health & Safety) and Quality Management, etc. They will also need to demonstrate full understanding of YCH's corporate RISE values (Reliability, Integrity, Sincerity and Enterprise), business ethics as well as proficiency in the company's proprietary Y-ScoreT customer service system to graduate. A key takeaway for these students is a better overall appreciation of how supply chain management and optimization fits in with overall business strategy and competitive advantage. Graduates will receive a certification that is endorsed by both YCH and the Tianjin College of Commerce, after they pass all stations that are graded by both the industry trainer from YCH as well as the lecturers from TCC.